FEATURED TOPIC: MEXICO’S DRUG WAR

FEATURED TOPIC: MEXICO’S DRUG WAR

Overview

Mexico: states most in conflict marked in red

• The drug war in Mexico is an armed conflict taking place between rival drug cartels and government security forces in Mexico
• More than 16,000 people have been killed in Mexico since Dec 2006 when the government launched a crackdown on drug cartels in the country
• More than 7000 people were killed in 2009 alone
• The consequences of the conflict have been felt in the US, Guatemala, Canada, Europe and North Africa
• Currently, more than 50,000 Mexican military and police officers are engaged in battling over 10,000 drug cartel members

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

Drug trafficking in Mexico

• Mexico is major drug producing and transit country, especially for shipments to the U.S.
• Drug cartels in Mexico control 70% of narcotics flowing into the U.S.
• More than 90% of cocaine in the U.S. enters through Mexico. The primary producer of the cocaine is Colombia
• The illegal drug trade in Mexico is estimated to be around USD 50 billion annually

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

Military efforts against the drug cartels

The Mexican Navy seize a narco submarine in July 2008

• The President of Mexico Felipe Calderon is a staunch supporter of action against the drug cartels. Mexico’s large scale military intervention began in Dec 2006 with his election to office
• Today, it is one of the most massive counter-narcotics efforts in the world
• The states most affected by the violence in Mexico are: Baja California, Guerrero, Chihuahua, Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Sinaloa

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

Major drug cartels in Mexico

Cartel	Leader	Notes
Sinaloa cartel	Joaquin Guzman Loera	Armed wing is called Los Negros
Juarez cartel	Vincente Carrillo Fuentes
Tijuana cartel	Arellano Felix family
Gulf cartel	Osiel Cardenas Guillen	Armed wing is called Los Zetas

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

FEATURED TOPIC: SETHUSAMUDRAM PROJECT

About the Sethusamudram Project

• The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project is the proposal to link the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a channel in the sea
• The project is called Sethu Samudram due to its association with the Ram Sethu of the Ramayana
• The project, if completed, would provide a continuous navigable sea route around India, instead of having to go around Sri Lanka

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

Details of the project

Adam's Bridge within the Palk Strait

• The project involves digging a 45 nautical mile (83 km) long deepwater channel, that would link the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar
• The Palk Strait is a strait that lies between Tamil Nadu in India and the island of Mannar in Sri Lanka. It connects the Palk Bay in the north to the Gulf of Mannar in the south
• The Strait is named after Robert Palk, former Governor of Madras Presidency
• The Strait is studded with a chain of shallow islands and reef shoals called Adam’s Bridge or Rama Sethu.
• This chain extends between Dhanushkodi on Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Talaimannar in Mannar in Sri Lanka
• The project, if completed as proposed, would involve the breaking of Adam’s Bridge

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

Evolution of the project

• The Sethusamudram Project was first conceived of in 1860 by Commander Alfred Taylor of the Indian Marines
• Multiple committees and commissions have studied the project and have proposed multiple alignments for the shipping canal
• Currently, there are five alternative alignments to one being considered now
• Unlike the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal, the present alignment proposes the creation of a mid-ocean, which is unprecedented

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

Support for the project

• It is expected that the Project will reduce travel distance by 350 nautical miles (650 km). By comparison, the Suez Canal and Panama Canal save thousands of nautical miles in travel distance
• The Project is also expected to boost Tuticorin port as a nodal port, and to develop minor ports at Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thondi, Kolachel and Kanyakumari
• The project is also expected to provide increased maritime security to Tamil Nadu

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

Opposition to the project

• Economists argue that the Project is unlikely to be economically viable due to the insignificant reduction in travel distance
• Further the channel is expected to be navigable only by medium sized ships, not by larger ones
• The Project is also expected to cause irreversible damage to the environment by destroying the coral reefs
• The destruction of Adam’s Bridge is also expected to increase the threat of tsunami strikes on Tamil Nadu and Kerala
• The Project is also opposed on religious grounds, due to the association of the Rama Sethu with the Ramayana

Keywords: India, ias, upsc, civil studies, study material, general studies, free

RECENT NOTEWORTHY DEVELOPMENTS

DOMESTIC

1. Elected representatives not covered under RTI Act
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   4. The Act applies to all states and Union Territories except Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu & Kashmir has its own Right to Information Act 2009
   5. The Right to information laws were first enacted at the state level in Tamil Nadu and Goa in 1997
   6. The Chief Information Commission was established in 2005 under the provisions of the RTI Act 2005
   7. The Commission is made of persons of eminence in public life with expertise in law, science & technology, social service etc
   8. The Chief Information Commissioner and other Information Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition
2. State of Telangana to be created
   1. The Union Government has agreed to the creation of the new state of Telangana, carved out of Andhra Pradesh
   2. The three main regions of Andhra Pradesh are Telangana (north-west), Rayalseema (south-west) and Coastal Andhra
   3. Once created, Telangana will be the 29^th state of the Indian Union
   4. It will have a population of about 35 million (50% of current Andhra population)
   5. Telangana is one of the most under-developed regions in the nation